The Consort's Tenderness

Thinking this, Qiu Tu roughly reconstructed the beginning and end of the whole affair in his mind.

As a millennia-old aristocratic family, the Kou Family undoubtedly had a complete set of methods for currying favor with powerful figures and backing upstarts.

And throughout history, aside from blood ties, the most reliable relationship was clearly a marriage alliance.

So, just as the Kou Family had used Su Wanqing to "seduce" Qiu Tu and forge a strong connection with him, they had surely also arranged King Kang's marriage to the Queen.

It was even possible that, because King Kang had risen from humble beginnings at the time, the Kou Family's marriage alliance had been even more forceful.

Of course, for King Kang, gaining the support of a great aristocratic family through a marriage was unquestionably a profitable deal.

Thus, both sides hit it off and formally began cooperating.

That led to the Kou Family choosing King Kang later on, supporting him all the way, and helping him establish the Sixth Shelter.

And just like every such "startup" partnership eventually developed rifts and fell apart.

After the Sixth Shelter grew stronger and stronger, its influence expanding by the day, King Kang's relationship with the Kou Family was clearly no longer as close as before.

During that time, the Queen had surely faced the same dilemma as countless daughters of powerful ministers: should she stand with her husband, or with her own family?

In the end, perhaps because of benefits, perhaps because of affection, the Queen chose King Kang.

And during that period, Consort Xi appeared.

Consort Xi's family had clearly also been passed down from before the Cataclysm Era, so they had some marriage ties with the Kou Family.

After Consort Xi's family declined, she sought refuge with her cousin, the Queen, and